Play and grow....

Play—it's by definition absorbing. The outcome is always uncertain. Play makes children nimble—neurobiologically, mentally, behaviorally—capable of adapting to a rapidly evolving world. That makes it just about the best preparation for life in the 21st century. Psychologists believe that play cajoles people toward their human potential because it preserves all the possibilities nervous systems tend to otherwise prune away. It's no accident that all of the predicaments of play—the challenges, the dares, the races and chases—model the struggle for survival. Think of play as the future with sneakers on.

Change is the basis of human life, so don't attach yourself to birth or death, continuation or discontinuation. Just live right in the middle of the flow of change where there is nothing to hold on to. How do you do this?
Just be present and devote yourself to doing something. This is the simple practice of Zen.

- Dainin Katagiri
(1928-1990)
Japanese Zen Buddhist master

Thought of the day that rings true.

Our work for peace must begin within the private world of each one of us.

To build for man a world without fear, we must be without fear.

To build a world of justice, we must be just.

And how can we fight for liberty if we are not free in our own mind?

- Dag Hammarskjöld
(1905 - 1961)
2nd Secretary General of the United Nations

Sound health in 8 steps: Julian Treasure on TED.com

Julian Treasure says our increasingly noisy world is gnawing away at our mental health — even costing lives. He lays out an 8-step plan to soften this sonic assault (starting with those cheap earbuds) and restore our relationship with sound. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2010, July 2010 in Oxford, England. Duration: 7:15)  Here is a link to the video at TED.

Ethical leadership in tough times

Original article from RSA. In business as in government, it is an interesting time to be a leader. Times are indeed tough. Those in work are supposed to feel lucky just to have a job, no matter how demanding or unsatisfying it is, or how much more ‘productive’ they are being asked to be. Management gets ‘de-layered’ (cut), targets get set at ever more demanding levels, and the penalties for failure can be harsh. Within this unsentimental, ‘measure everything that moves’ climate, we also seem to expect our leaders to be creative, sensitive and ethical. And woe betides them if they commit the tiniest sin: while some of our MPs proved themselves dishonest, witness the outcry over even the pettiest expenses transgression.

There are other huge challenges to leaders that lie underneath the more obvious performance imperatives. Some of these challenges are moral paradoxes. Leaders are expected to manage many tensions. They are expected to drive performance ever harder whilst creating nurturing and empowering environments. We expect them to show emotional intelligence whilst feeling harassed and even bullied by their own bosses and organisations. The good leader needs to espouse work/life balance and engage in developing the well being of their staff while being expected to be on constant duty-call themselves. They must develop ethical organisational practices at the same time as fighting for survival in a highly competitive environment. And of course, they must remain calm, confident and driven whilst being subject to disruptive change themselves.

THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF

Just started to read this THE BRAIN CAN CHANGE ITSELF. It is a plastic, living organ that can actually change its own structure and function, even into old age. Arguably the most important breakthrough in neuroscience since scientists first sketched out the brain’s basic anatomy, this revolutionary discovery, called neuroplasticity, promises to overthrow the centuries-old notion that the brain is fixed and unchanging. The brain is not, as was thought, like a machine, or “hardwired” like a computer. Neuroplasticity not only gives hope to those with mental limitations, or what was thought to be incurable brain damage, but expands our understanding of the healthy brain and the resilience of human nature.

Norman Doidge, MD, a psychiatrist and researcher, set out to investigate neuroplasticity and met both the brilliant scientists championing it and the people whose lives they’ve transformed.

There is also an interview with Dr Doidge on the ABC all in the mind radion nations website.

What Makes Me Feel Big

Full article is at "This I believe." For me, the beautiful resides in the physical, but it is spiritual. I have never heard a sermon as spiritual in either phrase or fact as, “Waters on a starry night are beautiful and free.” No hymn lifts my heart higher than the morning call of the bobwhite or the long fluting cry of sandhill cranes out of the sky at dusk. I have never smelled incense in a church as refining to the spirit as a spring breeze laden with aroma from a field of bluebonnets.

Not all hard truths are beautiful, but beauty is truth. It incorporates love and is incorporated by love. It is the goal of all great art. Its presence everywhere makes it free to all. It is not so abstract as justice, but beauty and intellectual freedom and justice, all incorporating truth and goodness, are constant sustainers to my mind and spirit.

Educator and folklorist J. Frank Dobie wrote numerous books and articles about vanishing ways of life on the ranches of his native Texas. He taught in the English department at the University of Texas for many years and was a lecturer on U.S. history at Cambridge during World War II.

Owning Up to Our Choices Ultimately Makes Us Happier; If We Don’t Like our Choices, We Can Change Them

Original article is at Happiness Blog. In 168 Hours, Laura argues that we have more time than we think. We feel rushed and overwhelmed, that we don't have enough time for the things that are important to us, but she points out ways to reclaim time, so that we spend it mindfully, in the most meaningful ways. (Mindfulness! It keeps popping up in happiness! And I find it so hard to be mindful.)

When to Choose Is to Lose

Full article at Psychology Today. You're among the first generation in history to decide not only where to live and what profession to enter (fundamental choices that now feel like a birthright) but whether to shell out for a 32, 42, or 52 inch flat-screen, LCD or LED.From breakfast cereal to birth control, we are assailed with options at every moment in our day—choice that's often marketed as sparkling necessity. Our big decisions are also subject to spin: Colleges vie for applicants; doctors are poised to help us choose not just the time of conception but the profile and pedigree of our progeny. Entire industries—travel agents, interior decorators, portfolio managers—are devoted to the navigation of a selection-saturated world.
Our ancestors would be overwhelmed by this orgy of options. Our brains still are. That's because we evolved in a world where choice was limited by chronic shortages of food, absence of transportation other than one's own two feet, and few reliable sources of information. In a world without menus, speed dating, or iPods, either you ate, found a mate, and enjoyed a snatch of music, or you went without. Often, the choice was between something and nothing. In such a world, our ancestors could afford to simplify decision-making to "Always get the best."

The Perfect Level of Stress

From Psychology Today. Anxious people, it turns out, may make better decisions. Gregory Samanez-Larkin, a graduate student in psychology at Stanford University, scanned the brains of healthy people (none of them had anxiety disorders) and found that a particular region, the anterior insula, lit up when the subjects anticipated losing money. But those who were more anxious showed even more activity in the anterior insula.

Later he brought the same group back to the lab to play a computer game for real cash. Those with greater insular activity—the more anxious ones—were better at learning how to avoid losing money in subsequent games. "Their anxiety over losing money perhaps led them to be more precise in the way they played the game," Samanez-Larkin says.

Why We 'Choke' Under Pressure—and How to Avoid It

From JUS News Science: A star golfer misses a critical putt; a brilliant student fails to ace a test; a savvy salesperson blows a key presentation. Each of these people has suffered the same bump in mental processing: They have just choked under pressure.

It's tempting to dismiss such failures as "just nerves." But toUniversity of Chicago psychologist Sian Beilock, they are preventable results of information logjams in the brain. By studying how the brain works when we are doing our best—and when we choke—Beilock has formulated practical ideas about how to overcome performance lapses at critical moments.

Beilock's research is the basis of her new book, Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting it Right When You Have To, published Sept. 21 by Simon and Schuster, Free Press.

A Practical Plan for When You Feel Overwhelmed

FROM HBR - First, spend a few minutes writing down everything you have to do on a piece of paper. Resist the urge to use technology for this task. Why? I'm not sure, but somehow writing on paper — and then crossing things out — creates momentum.

Second, spend 15 minutes — no more — knocking out as many of the easiest, fastest tasks as you can. Make your quick phone calls. Send your short emails. Don't worry about whether these are the most important tasks on your list. You're moving. The goal is to cross off as many items as possible in the shortest time. Use a timer to keep you focused.

Third, when 15 minutes are up, turn off your phone, close down all the windows on your computer, and choose the most daunting thing on your list, the one that instills the most stress or is the highest priority. Then work on it and only it — without hesitation or distraction — for 35 minutes.

How the Brain Fears (video attached)

From Big Think - Emotions are messy, complicated phenomena—not just for lovers, but for neuroscientists as well, because they combine cognition with physiology. Scientists once thought of emotion as a purely mental activity which elicited bodily responses, but they now see the mind and body as equally responsible for creating the experiences of fear, joy, and anger. Despite this complexity, science is beginning to understand emotion by examining one emotional pathway at a time, with the hope of some day combining them into a comprehensive understanding.

How Your Brain Connects the Future to the Past

Publish Post

From HBR - Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske. We tend to think of memory as a way to revisit past experiences: a vacation in the tropics, a bad business decision, or where you might have put those elusive car keys. Neuroscientists have long believed that the brain's so-called episodic memory circuits are largely involved in remembering past events or occurrences. Neuroimaging studies had even identified parts of the brain that are specifically activated when retrieving information from prior life experiences. These include regions in the prefrontal and medial temporal lobes, as well as more posterior regions such as the retrosplenial cortex. Butrecent studies (pdf)have found a striking overlap between these areas and brain regions that are activated when you think about the future.

Getting to Know You

Most of the thoughts that cause distress are not new; they're all recycled. And they boil down to "I want to be appreciated/loved/approved." "We're trapped in these thoughts," says Katie. Freedom and happiness lie in opening up your judgments.

Let's say you feel your boyfriend or girlfriend isn't paying enough attention to you. It causes you deep anxiety because you feel s/he doesn't love you. You may even worry that you will be partnerless soon.
"The mind's job is to validate what it thinks, " says Katie, so it looks for proof that s/he doesn't love you. The problem is, there are not a lot of options in fear. You need clarity to know what is really going on.

Leaders of the Pack Display High 'Emotional Intelligence'

ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2010) — The ability to understand emotions is a key ingredient in people who become leaders in groups with no formal authority, a new paper has found. The findings come through two different studies using commerce students. Study participants were given an emotional ability test as part of the study, as well as a self-analysis of their emotional skills. Then, they organized themselves into small groups or were randomly assigned to small groups and were given a group project to do.

For those who use facebook - 7 effective habits

From Psyblog. Love it or loathe it, Facebook is everywhere, and will continue to be everywhere as the film describing its genesis—The Social Network—is released worldwide over coming months.

To help you cope, here are 7 research-based tips for total Facebook domination. If you don't use it, these should at least help you pepper Facebook-related conversations with compelling observations from the psychological research.

Research from the AGSM - Adaptive Leadership: Can the One-trick CEO Be Retrained?

The CVs of "two-dimensional leaders" provide clues for those who may be most at risk, observes Barry Bloch, partner in leadership consulting at Heidrick & Struggles, a global executive search firm. Typically, they have one-track careers with "experience in single industries or single companies", he says. And the inability to adapt often reflects where they have learned to lead.   A hallmark of the authoritarian leader is not listening to others, bypassing the opportunity to hear bad news. A common tactic is keeping people who may challenge their approaches at bay by surrounding themselves with those who understand and support their style of leadership. Frequently, a cabal of chosen operatives goes with a CEO when he or she changes jobs.

Dr Russ Harris, MD - the Happiness Trap

It is strange that on some occasions you find a book (in this case the book was purchased by my wife) only to find that you skim through it and then a short time later you find an almost perfect fit to use it for a good purpose.  In a coaching session last night I was working with a very strong and competent woman who was looking at career issues.  During the session I recalled a story from Ron’s book around the demons we try and keep at sea (using a lot of energy when we know the demons are really like CGI effects) where I think the example was really useful.  I would recommend Ron’s book and he also has a website with a raft (keeping on the at sea theme) of free and useful resources.  Check out his website and if you think you are in a happiness trap then maybe the book would help you “stop struggling and start living”.

Thought of the day that rings true

Just know your own mind, and you will grasp countless teachings and infinite subtle meanings without even seeking. That is why the World Honoured one said, Observing all sentient beings, I see they are fully endowed with the knowledge and virtues of Buddhas. He also said, All living beings, and all sorts of illusory events, are all born in the completely awake subtle mind of those who realise suchness.
- Chinul
(1158-1210)
Zen master

Five Powers that Get Ideas off the Ground

Also from the HBR BLOG.  Rosabeth Moss Canter set out how getting ideas off the ground can require a power surge. In years of detailed observation of successful leaders across sectors and fields, she has seen that getting the credibility to reach important goals comes from uplifting actions that increase five personal and organizational powers.

Your Most Helpful Colleague (Don't You Hate Him?)

From HBR blog. Wouldn't any group cherish a member who went above and beyond? It would seem self-evident that someone who behaved selflessly and in the interests of collective achievement would be a boon to the group's performance and happiness. Indeed, the Nobel laureate Herbert Simon argued in 1979 that such people are necessary in groups, if for no other reason than to give more self-oriented members someone to exploit. Consider the alternative, too: In a group consisting mainly of self-oriented people, the collective effort doesn't add up to much, and many tasks either go undone, or are done insufficiently.
Research suggests, however, that such selfless contributors are not so valued by their colleagues. In fact, they can inspire such negative reactions that others might believe the group would be better off without them. In a series of studies Asako Stone and I conducted, we found this to be the case: selfless people were almost as unpopular as their polar opposites, the very greedy people who contribute next to nothing but expect to reap the full reward of a group's success.

Brain Confidence: How Our Neurons Make Decisions

Great video in this article from the Big Think.

Neuroscience research is revealing how the chemistry and architecture of the brain make decisions for us, and how the brain's reaction to decision-making is based on confidence. Researchers has shown that a networked, hierarchical process is strung out across the brain to achieve these functions, even while specific neuron clusters are more active than others in helping us make decisions. 

While human-focused research uses leading-edge brain scans, some scientists are studying the neurology of decision-making in rodents because their brains are evolutionarily similar to those of humans.

Steve Denning - looks interesting - storytelling and leadership

Just had a fried introduce me to the work of Steve Denning.  Here is a link to Steve's website - looks interesting.  Like the tone and approach as I have seen some strong leaders use this approach and it worked.  Worth a look.

50 Acts that Enhance Novelty at Work

Bored at work and want to fire up the brain box - a great list of actions from Brain Leaders and Learners blog.  Here is a sample:

1 – Step up with confidence.

• Replace fears, fueled by dangerous cortisol, with confidence that comes through serotonin.

2 – Join a social media group.

• While brains default back to ruts, human minds also hold equipment for rejuvenation.

3 – Ask advice from a novice.

• Mind-bending revelations open to those who question, and curiosity enables adventure guided by great questions.

Four I's: Your true selves, really.

There's a new way of looking at the self that conforms more to what the scientific evidence suggests. We know we evolved, and that our fellow creatures, which also evolved, nevertheless don't seem to engage in searches for their true selves. Flies fly without every wondering why, without ever looking inside for the true source of their flight. Introspection, the ability to picture a true self, seems pretty much new with humans. Even with us, though, it doesn't consume our day. Watching TV, maintaining liver function, or simply breathing -- we have plenty of self-perpetuating habits that don't depend on self-awareness. Still, there's no family of words that roll off our tongues as readily as first-person singulars. "I," "me," "my" -- we speak of these things with great authority. In light of evolution, however, what do these words mean? Read the full article here.  
The article is by Jeremy Sherman MD.

What to delegate - Manager Tools a great site.

This podcast is from my all time best management site - Manager Tools.  These guys give the best advice on practical management.  Here is what they have to say about delegation:

When we train groups or coach executives and managers on delegation, the question we most frequently get is, okay, but WHAT do I delegate? For many years, we resisted giving guidance on WHAT to delegate. We were much more focused on the HOW of delegation, which we have codified in the fourth concept in the Manager Tools Trinity.

But frankly, everyone keeps asking WHAT to delegate! For years we've been saying that that decision is best based on the manager's priorities and the directs' abilities. But frankly, it must not be as easy as we thought. Managers whom we have trained still ask, what, what, what. So, this podcast addresses the basics of WHAT to delegate to our directs.

I have an old computer that is stuck on "bad" - reboot?

In his Big Think interview, Achor, the author of "The Happiness Advantage," tells us that, unlike regular psychology, which focuses on the average or below average, he studies people who are in some way exceptional, with the hopes of applying that knowledge to the greater population. We can actually reprogram our brains to be happier, says Achor. "The brain is like a single processor in a computer." Someone who is chronically negative or pessimistic is merely scanning first for the stresses and the hassles of life. And because the brain has finite resources, it cannot also scan for the positive elements. As a result, that person continuously reinforces his own negativity, causing himself to feel unhappy.  More about Shawn Achor here.http://www.shawnachor.com/

A trip to the coffee shop on a Monday for a serious discussion?

A conversation on Saturday made me think about "a quick shock" to address a performance issues.  Psychology Today has an article that gives a good coverage of what we discussed as a group on Saturday - yes make it quick and not on a Friday.

When leaders see performance that is substandard and when attempts at reform have not improved results, the only - and best - recourse is to act swiftly to remove the person. From my vantage as a consultant, it is one of the hardest things for a leader to do and the one omission in action that produces contempt for the leader among the workers and yields difficult, intractable organization-wide performance problems.

Link to the article is
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-wisdom-bees/201007/uncomfortable-conversation-about-merit-what-do-you-think

Future of leadership - some views from HBR.

The Harvard Business Review has a set of articles on “Imagining the Future of Leadership.”  A number of the articles have links through to some video presentations. For those looking for some insights on leadership this is quite a good set of resources.  Key reference address is http://blogs.hbr.org